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Lenovo's latest gaming laptops pack more efficient NVIDIA graphics
Lenovo is leaping quickly on the latest NVIDIA and Intel technology for its gaming laptops. It's introducing Legion 5i and Legion 7i portables (successors to the Y540 and Y740 respectively) that, most notably, are among the first to use NVIDIA's Advanced Optimus graphics switching. The tech both lowers power consumption in less-intensive moments and ramps up performance in GPU-heavy situations, theoretically giving you added battery life and higher frame rates in the same package. The Legion 7i also touts the option of new GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q graphics if you insist on the best possible visuals.
Acer gaming laptops add RTX Super graphics and 10th-gen Intel CPUs
Acer is joining a flurry of PC makers in adopting the next wave of NVIDIA and Intel chips inside its laptops. It's updating its 15.6-inch Predator Triton 500 (above) and Nitro 5 (below) gaming portables to use NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX Super laptop GPUs as well as Intel's 10th-generation Core H-series processors. As you might guess, the premium Predator series is the highlight. It comes with up to a GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q to deliver speedier and more efficient graphics, and mates that with a 300Hz, 3ms response IPS display and per-key RGB keyboard lighting.
NVIDIA's RTX Super GPUs arrive on laptops
NVIDIA has launched its latest Max-Q GPU refresh with new hardware like the RTX 2080 Super Max-Q GPU and upgraded features as well. As with the desktop hardware, the new products will offer a modest boost to gaming and content creation performance. However, NVIDIA has also introduced new Max-Q features that should boost performance and power efficiency significantly on all the Max-Q GPUs -- but only on new 2020 laptops.
ASUS adds new Intel chips to its Zephyrus gaming laptops
ASUS has refreshed its line of gaming laptops with new 10th Generation Intel Core processors, NVIDIA RTX 2070/2080 Super graphics and a bunch of other features designed to make gaming and content creation slicker and smoother. First up, the new Zephyrus S17 (pictured), which comes with a 17.3-inch display with super narrow bezels in an 18.7-millimeter-thin chassis. A 300 Hz refresh rate and 3ms grey-to-grey response time means the display is lightning fast, and it comes with Pantone-validated color accuracy as well.
ASUS' ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 is a gaming laptop with a built-in second screen
ASUS has been pushing laptops with second screens for a couple of years now, but it's still searching for a winning formula. Last year's ZenBook Pro Duo pushed the keyboard down to the edge of the laptop's body, with the rest of the surface housing a second screen. The problem with that configuration was an awkwardly placed trackpad. But, you know who cares less about trackpad placement? Gamers. Hence, almost a year later, the company's Republic Of Gamers (ROG) division has its own spin on the concept: the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15.
Social distancing is pushing esports into the mainstream
Industries around the globe have ground to a halt amid the coronavirus pandemic. Bars, restaurants, stadiums and factories have shuttered, and entire countries are on lockdown as citizens are ordered to stay home for weeks at a time in an attempt to control the disease's spread. With the streets empty, people are turning to their screens more than ever before. Viewership of streaming services like Netflix, YouTube, Twitch, Mixer and Hulu has risen weekly since shelter-in-place orders began rolling out, and people are on the hunt for new forms of entertainment, ideally with a social twist. Something with a chat room, or dozens of forum posts to read through, or an active Twitter and Instagram presence. Something with stats and high stakes. Something live. Enter: Esports. As economic activity spirals downward around the world, the esports industry has been spun into overdrive. Leagues are ditching plans for in-person tournaments and pivoting to online-only matches, where they're finding a hungry audience.
Dell XPS 13 review (2020): Tweaked to near perfection
How do you improve on a nearly perfect laptop? We gave the XPS 13 one of our most positive reviews ever last year -- and in 2020, Dell has managed to outdo itself again. The latest XPS 13 model has a larger screen with slimmer bezels, a bigger keyboard and a sleeker design. On their own, those aren't exactly life-changing upgrades. But taken as a whole, they make the XPS 13 even more refined than before. You could say it's more perfect than perfect.
Alphabet’s DeepMind AI is better than you at Atari games
Having AI agents learn how to play simple video games is an ideal way to test their effectiveness, thanks to the ability to measure success via a score. Alphabet's DeepMind designated 57 particular Atari games to serve as a litmus test for its AI, and established a benchmark for the skills of an average human player. The company's latest system, Agent57, made a huge leap over previous systems, and is the first iteration of the AI that outperforms the human baseline. In particular, Agent57 has proven its superhuman skills in Pitfall, Montezuma's Revenge, Solaris and Skiing -- games that have been major challenges for other AIs.
Xbox Series X and PS5: The new consoles are all about crazy fast storage
The Xbox One and PS4 were the start of an unusual console generation. Both systems adopted very "PC-like" architecture and instead of a new generation we instead got a refresh where Microsoft and Sony both released faster versions of their existing consoles, the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. We may still have a few months left to wait, but finally we've gotten details of what the next real generation will bring. Microsoft and Sony have both stuck with the PC-like design of their predecessors, and are again using AMD as their CPU and GPU supplier, but the Xbox Series X and PS5 will be very different from the current generation. The biggest changes come from the storage systems. Considering the Xbox One and PS4 both still use slow mechanical hard drives, we figured a move to smaller, faster, more efficient flash-based SSDs was inevitable, but Microsoft and Sony have gone all out. Both systems feature custom storage interfaces with PCI Express 4.0 SSDs and custom hardware to handle real-time decompression. That means these drives will move serious amounts of data very quickly. The Series X is claiming transfer speeds of around 3-4GB/s, while the PS5 may be capable of data rates as high as 9GB/s. With data rates that high (the current consoles manage maybe 150MB/s in ideal conditions), load times should be cut down to seconds, and in-game load screens may become a thing of the past. Faster data rates could also enable higher resolution textures for more photo-realistic graphics, and enable you to switch between games with the click of a button. Add in a significantly upgraded CPU and a long-awaited AMD ray tracing solution for hyper-realistic lighting, and these consoles represent a huge leap forward. Hopefully, their benefits will also trickle down into the PC space as well, and games on every platform will be able to leverage these new possibilities to be faster and better looking. We don't know exactly when they'll arrive yet, or how much they'll cost, but we'll have more details on the Series X and PS5 as soon as they're announced.
The Morning After: MacBook Air (2020) review
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Remember when Steve Jobs pulled the MacBook Air out of a manila envelope? These days a thin-and-light laptop isn't that shocking, but Apple's original version is still one of the best. Dana Wollman's review is in: With the improved keyboard and upgraded base storage, this 13-inch laptop is an even better option than last year when its price started $100 higher. The only drawbacks? Just two USB-C ports and battery life that is good, but not best-in-class. If you want macOS and don't need Pro power or a discrete GPU, it's worth thinking about -- but I'm sticking with my XPS 13 2-in-1. -- Richard
'Fortnite' gets a bullet-stopping 'Kingsman' umbrella
Epic's current Fortnite season is focused on secret agents, and that now includes direct references to movies -- if not the ones you're likely to think of first. An update to the battle royale shooter has introduced a Kingsman umbrella that, like the one in the Brits-save-the-world film series, deflects bullets when you open it toward your foe. You can't use it indefinitely (that would be wildly unfair), but it might just save your life if you're out of ammo or need some space between you and your opponent.
'Apex Legends' tournaments get a new online-only schedule
Respawn and EA's dreams of establishing Apex Legends as an esports staple aren't going according to plan. The Apex Legends Global Series team is moving its events online "for the time being" due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that means both more remote events overall as well as greater reward for those who participate. There are now three more Online Tournaments (#4, #5 and #6) due to start on April 18th, May 2nd and May 30th, while the already-scheduled Online Tournament #3 starting April 4th is now poised to offer $100,000 in prize money on top of series points. Its finals will broadcast on Twitch and YouTube on April 6th.
Atari's latest attempt at milking nostalgia is a 'Pong' RPG
Atari is trying themed hotels, retro consoles and other efforts to reel in nostalgic gamers, but its latest may be its oddest yet: turn Pong into a one-of-a-kind role-playing game. It's developing a Pong Quest game that has you guiding a heroic paddle through dungeons based on (what else?) Atari games like Asteroids and Centipede in a campaign to save Pong World. You'll fight in "RPG-esque" battles wielding customized Pong balls and adorning your paddle in clothing and other gear.
Ubisoft offers free games to encourage you to stay at home
Ubisoft thinks it has a simple way to encourage people to stay at home and wait out the COVID-19 pandemic: shower them with games. It's running a month-long campaign that will give away free games, trials, discounts and other offers to give you something to do while you're cooped up. It's starting things off by offering the PC version of Rayman Legends for free on Uplay from now through April 3rd. It's an old title, to be sure, but it might hit the spot if you're looking for an upbeat game to remind you that things will get better.
Microsoft’s News Bar adds a scrolling news feed to Windows 10
In case you didn't already feel inundated with news, Microsoft is introducing a new app that will display a scrolling news feed across your desktop. News Bar, currently available as a beta for Windows 10, will curate the top regional news from over 4,500 publications, and if you choose, it will include customizable stock info.
Streamlabs beta could make Mac livestreaming a lot better
Let's not sugarcoat it: livestreaming on Macs tends to suck. Even if you're not streaming games, there's a dearth of high-quality broadcasting tools to add a professional level of polish. Now, however, you shouldn't have to struggle. Streamlabs has released an open Mac beta of its version of OBS that delivers the alerts, overlays, audiovisual controls and chat management that many streamers take for granted. It'll handle familiar services, too, including Twitch, Mixer, Facebook and YouTube.
Apple MacBook Air review (2020): A return to form
For the first time in years, Apple has a sub-$1,000 MacBook. Technically, anyway. The new and improved MacBook Air starts at $999, a drop from its old $1,099 base price. Notably, Apple also doubled the entry-level storage from 128GB to 256 gigabytes. Most important of all, though, Apple fixed the keyboard, porting over the same new scissor-style design the company first debuted on last year's 16-inch MacBook Pro. This marks a return to form for the Air, a machine that, until now, we were hesitant to recommend over the similarly priced entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro. But with a lower price, more generous specs and a functional, even pleasant, typing experience, the Air might once again be the MacBook for most people.
Accidental cross-play makes Star Wars 'Jedi Academy' a console bloodbath
The classic 2003 Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy game recently arrived on PS4 and Switch, but console users excited to try it have encountered a formidable enemy. PC players have figured out how to cross-play on consoles, so they're invading online multiplayer games and slaughtering their hapless Jedi opponents.
Steam limits game auto-updates to manage peak demand
Console makers aren't the only ones managing game service bandwidth to keep traffic flowing during the COVID-19 outbreak. Valve is scaling back game auto-updates in Steam to "spread out" the load and prevent its servers from buckling under the strain. As of this week, only games you've played in the past three days will get immediate updates. Everything else will be updated over the course of "several more days." You can still manually start updates and schedule update windows, of course, but Steam won't be in a rush to keep all your games current.
Apple brings ProRes RAW support to Windows video editors
Thanks to a combination of more affordable cinema cameras and increasingly powerful software, professional video producers are able to net some impressive results. One major part of the equation for achieving high-quality footage is shooting in a RAW codec, which creates lossless files that are suitable for color correction and other enhancements. Apple's ProRes RAW codec isn't a very popular choice among shooters, but that may change now that the format isn't exclusive to Apple's computers. The company released beta software that lets Windows editors work with ProRes RAW files in Adobe's Premiere Pro, After Effects and Media Encoder. This means they won't have to devote time or computing power to transcoding the files -- they can simply load them into their editing suite and get to work.
